Haredi parties are boycotting meetings of coalition faction heads, according to Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi, who warned they are falling into a trap set by the legal system. Separately, senior Shas rabbi Yitzhak Yosef will lead a Saturday night protest rally in Bnei Brak against the arrest of draft evaders, journalist Eli Hirshman reports for N12.
Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi warned Tuesday that Haredi parties are falling into a "trap" set by the legal system and the High Court of Justice by boycotting coalition faction-head meetings, according to a report attributed to the Knesset Channel. The warning came after the meeting scheduled for Tuesday evening was canceled following the boycott, as The Zioneer first reported at 10:04 Tuesday morning. The boycott escalated throughout the morning: first UTJ leaders Goldknopf and Gafni confirmed they would not attend (10:04), then Shas left its participation undecided, and finally the meeting was officially scrapped.
Separately, senior Shas rabbi Yitzhak Yosef will lead a protest rally in Bnei Brak on Saturday night against the arrest campaign targeting yeshiva draft evaders, journalist Eli Hirshman (N12) reported earlier Tuesday afternoon. The weekly lesson will be pre-recorded due to the rally.
The thread traces a deepening coalition crisis over Haredi military service. As The Zioneer reported over the past week: Netanyahu originally convened coalition heads Sunday evening to test support for a law freezing draft-evader arrests; Shas announced Monday it would withhold votes on all coalition legislation unless arrests stop; Haredi yeshiva heads warned last Wednesday (Jun 17) the arrest campaign was "tearing the system apart" and called for a one-year freeze; and hundreds of Haredi protesters clashed with police in Ashdod on Jun 12 in a confrontation that initially appeared to target the arrest of a draft deserter who turned out not to be Haredi.
The coalition's ability to advance its legislative agenda remains uncertain. It is not yet clear whether Shas will definitively join the boycott or what steps Prime Minister Netanyahu might take to restore coalition discipline.
5 developments
- DevelopingLeading Shas rabbi to lead protest rally against draft-evader arrests
- DevelopingShas: no votes for coalition legislation unless draft-evader arrests end
- StrongHaredi yeshiva heads warn coalition: arrest campaign is tearing the system apart
- StrongNetanyahu convenes coalition heads Tuesday to secure majority for draft-evader arrest freeze
Source and signal
- Internal intake